Country-Wide December 2020

Page 82

Selling stock takes

good relationships The more information Brenden Clay has, the better the job he can do for clients. Karen Trebilcock explains why.

B

renden Clay is in it for the long game as a PGG Wrightson dairy rep based in Southland. After two years in the position, the 31-year-old said he’s now finding his feet. “I enjoy it. It’s a lot different to what I expected, a lot harder, more cut-throat, but I enjoy building the relationships with my clients and other agents and that’s what makes it work. “It’s about joining the dots for people. We have to have strong relationships with clients and colleagues and I’m starting to build those, and it’s the snowball effect.” The position is salary based with bonuses for targets met. “It’s good for a young person like me starting out. PGG Wrightson have invested in me and given me a shot. The main goal for me now is to add as much value to PGG Wrightson Livestock and my client’s businesses.” Brenden does everything from selling herds to finding young stock grazing, winter grazing for cows, supplying service bulls, selling feeder and weaner calves as well as culls and store stock. When the Covid-19 lockdown happened in March the first thing on his mind was the large number of cows his clients either had sold or still had to sell before moving to a new home come June 1. “Our business was classed as essential, with very strict rules in place for our own safety as well as our clients. “But I had a lot of clients who were stressing that come June their cows needed to be somewhere else.” However, culls eventually got to the works

82

Brenden Clay with cows wintering on fodder beet through a PGG Wrightson contract. and herds were sold and the weather in April and May was “unreal”, helping it all happen. Coming from a farming family, he knew he was going to Lincoln and did the three-year bachelor of agriculture degree there. “I went to James Hargest College in Invercargill but I spent as much time as possible on farms, crutching lambs in the weekends and milking in the holidays.” His first job out of varsity was as a field rep for the then CRT, and after that he went dairying. Four seasons of contract milking up to 600 cows in Southland later, he decided on a change of direction and at the same time was asked to apply for a position with PGG Wrightson. “I went to the interview, went through the whole process and I got the job.” He started as a trainee in January 2018

and by spring that year moved up to be the southern Southland dairy representative, part of a team of nine in the PGG Wrightson’s southern dairy region. He is in daily contact with the members of the team using WhatsApp and Agonline, and also talks with other PGG Wrightson stock agents throughout the country, such as Murray Bain in Otago. Brenden said Friesians were popular in the south because of the live heifer export market, and there were also those seeking out A2A2 genetics especially as Open Country Dairy was paying a premium for that milk. A herd profile was all important when it came to selling. “A fully recorded herd with good records and herd tests is always the easiest to sell. People want to know everything such as BW and PW,

Country-Wide

December 2020


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

The right balance

2min
page 89

Emissions analysis beneficial

2min
page 88

Caring for their mates

6min
pages 65-71

Hemp trial leads to skincare export

1min
pages 88-89

Zoom without the gloom

3min
page 86

A whole new wilderness

4min
pages 84-85

More photos from Country-Wide

1min
pages 90-92

Selling the fine wool story

3min
page 87

Selling stock takes good relationships

4min
pages 82-83

Regional council seeks collaboration

4min
pages 80-81

Wean earlier and heavier

10min
pages 54-57

Concern over stock exclusion rules

7min
pages 78-79

Ram buying - what’s your genetic plan?

3min
pages 58-60

Looking back and forward

4min
pages 62-64

Lows and highs in a year of Covid-19

1min
page 64

Wiltshires get the nod

16min
pages 44-51

Stock Check: Farming’s sustainable gains poorly marketed

3min
page 61

Weaning for a successful tupping

4min
pages 52-53

Wool or meat – A bet each way?

7min
pages 40-43

Focusing on forages

9min
pages 34-37

Tips from top performers

5min
pages 38-39

Contracts give certainty for buyers, sellers

2min
pages 31-32

Opportunity knocks for strong wool

8min
pages 28-30

Produce products consumers want

3min
page 33

My challenge to you...

3min
pages 25-27

Going online for work and workers

1min
page 24

The meaning of being a ‘co-operative

6min
pages 22-23

Tragedy on the farm

3min
page 21

Great expectations

3min
pages 14-15

Shepherding, when I’m 64

3min
page 11

Snow hits tailing figures

3min
page 12

Chris Biddles has a few words of thanks for Winston

3min
page 10

Our time to give thanks

3min
page 13

Half-hearted on water

1min
page 8
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.